17th ARC Scholarship (2016)

The ARC Scholarship Fund Distributes over $30,000 in Direct Scholarships to Aid Students at ARC Approved™ Art Academy and Atelier Schools

As those familiar with ARC and its mission know, the organization is involved in numerous projects, all in support of a return to an appreciation of great and enduring art, to the visual expression of shared humanity, and to academic, skill-based, art education. At ARC we view our scholarship program as one of the most important. In order for future generations to produce great art, we must not lose the accumulated knowledge of the last several centuries. At our ARC Approved Atelier™ schools, we know these methods are still taught by some of the greatest artists alive today and the students who are the recipients of these scholarships will receive the training necessary to create great works of art and carry the knowledge to the next generation. For 16 years now, the ARC Scholarship Fund has awarded scholarships to some of the most talented emerging realist artists in the world and helped them continue their studies at ARC Approved Ateliers and Schools. From relatively modest beginnings in 2001, the number of entrants and qualifying Ateliers has expanded rapidly. In 2001 there were 14 ARC Approved Ateliers and today we proudly list over 70 schools and programs. We are proud to have been able to provide over $300,000 to date, enabling us to support an ever-growing number of students and the institutions they attend. The quality of the work continues to astound us, and many of our past winners have gone on to achieve great things in their careers already. Some who have won scholarships in the past have now opened their own ateliers with their own students competing in this very same competition and some have stayed to contribute their expertise at their alma maters, continuing the great academic tradition so important to our philosophy here at ARC. The Art Renewal Center™ is very pleased to announce the winners of the 2016 Annual Scholarship Competition. This year three first place winners, five second place winners, and eight third place winners have been awarded.

This Year's Judges

Fred Ross ARC Chairman

Frederick C. Ross, Founder and Chairman of the Art Renewal Center, Ross is the leading authority on William Bouguereau and co-author of the Catalogue Raisonné William Bouguereau: His Life and Works. Ross received his MA in art education from Columbia University. His speeches and essays are read by thousands of professionals, educators, students and fans each year; and have become required reading in countless classrooms. Ross is also a well known collector of 19th century European painting and of Contemporary Realism as well. Art Educator/lecturer; President of Bouguereau Committee; Art Expert and Collector, Writer; Artist; Published Art Historian on the 19th Century; ARC Salon and Scholarship Judge

Dr. Vern Swanson

Swanson has his Phd from the Courtauld Institute of Art, London, England and is the former Director of the Springville Museum of Art, Utah, where he served for 30 years. He is a lecturer/scholar/writer and expert on 19th Century European Art and Russian Art through the 20th Century. Swanson is the leading authority on Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema and John William Godward and author of the Catalogue Raisonnés for both artists. In total, the number of books Swanson has published is well into the teens.

Awards are given based on a portfolio of 10 to 15 works as well as a biography/CV, essay, and three letters of recommendation. Individual images are shown below to represent some of the best work submitted by the winning individuals.